Liberia – Sierra Leone relations refers to the historical and current relationship between

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

and

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

. The two countries signed a

non-aggression pact A non-aggression pact or neutrality pact is a treaty between two or more states/countries that includes a promise by the signatories not to engage in military action against each other. Such treaties may be described by other names, such as a t ...

in 2007 when Sierra Leonean President

Ernest Bai Koroma Ernest Bai Koroma (born 2 October 1953) is a Sierra Leonean politician who served as the fourth President of Sierra Leone from 17 September 2007 to 4 April 2018. Born and raised in Makeni in northern Sierra Leone, Koroma spent more than 24 y ...

took office. In January 2011, an African diplomat described relations as "cordial".

Ex-slave repatriations

Both states were destinations for ex-slaves from the Americas as well as people rescued by the British Navy from slave ships en route to the Americas. Those who were resettled in both territories became known as Sierra Leone Creoles and

Americo-Liberians Americo-Liberian people (also known as Congo people or Congau people),Cooper, Helene, ''The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood'' (United States: Simon and Schuster, 2008), p. 6 are a Liberian ethnic group of African Am ...

respectively, and eventually formed the local elites of both states. Liberia became independent in 1847 from the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, while Sierra Leone remained a colony of the United Kingdom until 1961.

Relations under Doe and Taylor

Relations were tense between Liberia and its neighbors, including Sierra Leone, during the presidencies of

Samuel Doe Samuel Kanyon Doe (6 May 1951 – 9 September 1990) was a Liberian politician and military officer who served as the 21st President of Liberia from 1986 to 1990. He ruled Liberia as Chairman of the People's Redemption Council (PRC) from 1980 ...

and Charles Taylor. In 1983, Liberian General Thomas Quiwonkpa fled to Sierra Leone after being charged with attempting a

Coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

. Under Taylor, the Sierra Leonean Armed Forces clashed with the Armed Forces of Liberia, which left several people dead. During the sessions of the

Special Court for Sierra Leone The Special Court for Sierra Leone, or the "Special Court" (SCSL), also called the Sierra Leone Tribunal, was a judicial body set up by the government of Sierra Leone and the United Nations to "prosecute persons who bear the greatest responsibi ...

, prosecutors claimed that Charles Taylor had actively participated in directing from Liberia the strategies of the

Revolutionary United Front The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was a rebel group that fought a failed eleven-year war in Sierra Leone, beginning in 1991 and ending in 2002. It later transformed into a political party, which still exists today. The three most senior surv ...

, a rebel group in Sierra Leone; among the allegations was that he had arranged to transport RUF commanders to

Monrovia Monrovia () is the administrative capital city, capital and largest city of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast and as of the 2022 census had 1,761,032 residents, home to 33.5% of Liber ...

to meet with them personally.

Refugees and post-war relations

Sierra Leone was the destination for more than 40,000 Liberian refugees who fled during the First and

Second Liberian Civil War The Second Liberian Civil War was a civil war in the West African nation of Liberia that lasted from 1999 to 2003. The war was mainly caused by transition failures after the First Civil War, especially the peace-building process which would res ...

s. Eight camps were set up in Sierra Leone's

Kenema District Kenema District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Kenema, which is the third most populous city in Sierra Leone, after Freetown and Bo. Tongo is the second most populous city in the district. ...

in its Eastern Province. Following the end of the wars, a repatriation campaign was started by the

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, l ...

(UNHCR) to return Liberians home. Instead of returning to Liberia, several thousand refugees opted to integrate into the Sierra Leonean communities they had fled to. In June 2007, Bo Waterside, a border crossing, reopened. It closed in 1990 after Taylor invaded Liberia and took over the Liberian government. It was heralded by Liberia as a sign of improving relations and a boost for bilateral trade, because it shortened the traveling distance between

and

Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...

.Liberia, SLeone re-open after 17 years

Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse (; AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency. With 2,400 employees of 100 nationalities, AFP has an editorial presence in 260 c ...

via ReliefWeb.int, 7 June 2007

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liberia-Sierra Leone relations

Bilateral relations of Sierra Leone

Ex-slave repatriations

Relations under Doe and Taylor

Refugees and post-war relations

See also

References